Just Keep Walking
by mckoy12345678910
Summary: (contains spoilers) Beth was on the bus when it left. Daryl stayed behind with Tyreese, Mika, Lizzie, and Judith. Lizzie faces her internal demons after her first kill, Tyreese searches for Sasha, Mika finds out about a family kept secret, and Daryl looks for Carol. (not a CARYL fic)
1. Chapter 1

"Come on! Let's get 'outta here!"

Lizzie had shot Alisha.

Tyreese was as shocked as anyone that had seen a thirteen year old girl kill someone. After a second, he shook the initial shock off, and continued on.

"Hey! We need to leave!" Lizzie nodded. Lizzie and Mika turned around, running the opposite way Tyreese told them to go. Tyreese reluctantly followed, ensuring the girls' safety. Lizzie ran to the back of the prison, kneeling down in front of a covered bench. Lizzie uncovered the bench, yanking the blanket off. There, a crying Judith squirmed, trying to get out of the confinement of the baby carrier. Lizzie looked behind her, scanning her surroundings. Once she was sure no one was around, she picked Judith up, trying to hush her. Her hands shaking, Lizzie hands Judith over to Mika.

Lizzie looked at Tyreese, "Where do we go?" Tyreese took a few seconds to process her question.

Tyreese answered, "Both of you get in front of me, Lizzie in the front, Mika in the back," he seemed panicked, "Only shoot when you have to. We're low on ammo," he huffed, wiping the sweat off his head, scanning the area, "Don't run off, and go exactly where I say to," Tyreese continued, "We're going to go out where the bus went off to. When we get a good distance between us from the prison, we're going to start looking for some shelter. Got it?" Lizzie and Mika nodded, "Good. Now come on."

Lizzie in front, started running to the spot where Tyreese told them to go, where the bus used to be. Encountering a few walkers, Lizzie let them be. Slowly, the amount of walkers soon doubled and then tripled. Lizzie, taking Tyreese's advice, got her knife out. A walker came out from a building corner, grabbing a Lizzie by the shoulder. Lizzie screamed, trying to push it away. She stabbed it once in the chest, though remembering what Carol had said, Lizzie drove the knife through the walker's skull, causing it to collapse on top of her. Tyreese helped her back up, seeing if she was okay.

Lizzie shook her head, "No, I'm fine. We need to keep moving." Tyreese kept his mouth shut, a little surprised at Lizzie's new behavior, but kept on running, knowing if they didn't keep going, they would end up dead. Lizzie lead again, having several other encounters with walkers. The trio kept on running until they came to a sudden halt. They were twenty feet between them and the empty road. But there was also something else; an entire heard, scattered, roaming around aimlessly, right in between where they had to go. Before the walkers saw them, Tyreese quickly grabbed hold of the girls, yanking them behind the wall, out of the walker's sight.

"Mika," he turned his attention to the shaking little girl, "stay here until I come back and get you. You can't fight because you have Judith. Here," he handed her a knife in her one free hand, "Don't hesitate if one attacks you. Kill it, got it?" Mika nodded. Tyreese turned his attention to the determined looking girl and said, "You'll fight, alright?" she nodded, "If I could spare you this fight, I would, but there are 'bout fifty walkers out there, and there is no way in hell that I can kill of them and get the two of you to safety. Use as little ammo as possible, and kill with the knife. Don't let them come to you, go to them. Don't hesitate, just kill," she nodded. Tyreese added, "If anything happens to me, you run. You get your sister and run 'til you find someone you know you can trust." Tyreese's eyes flickered between the two girls that stood before him and said, "Alright. Let's move."

Tyreese and Lizzie walked out of the corner, sneaking up behind the walkers. Lizzie killed the first three walkers without a problem, but soon realized she had a physical disadvantage; her height. Lizzie had to reach up, the walker's mouth getting a hair apart from her wrist. Lizzie started to kill the walkers by driving the knife up through the chin, into the brain. Lizzie killed walkers faster and more efficiently than ever before, almost wiping out fifteen walkers by herself. Lizzie looked over to Tyreese, seeing him fighting them off, one by one. Lizzie started to make the first moves on the walkers, running up to them, knifing them in the head. Lizzie felt a little more confident in herself, knowing she had taken down a considerably large amount of walkers. Lizzie looked over to where they had left Mika. She ran towards the spot, seeing that there were less than ten walkers left. Lizzie knew Tyreese could handle himself against ten measly walkers. Once Lizzie got there, she found the spot empty, no sign of Mika. Lizzie's head jumbled with thoughts, making her lose her balance. She leaned against the wall, trying to regain her composure. A hand grabbed her shoulder, making her jump. Lizzie turned around quickly, aiming her knife, ready for a walker attack. The hand belonged to a human. Daryl.

Beside Daryl, was Mika. Lizzie let out a breath of relief, scanning her sister for any bite marks or scratches.

Daryl said, "Come on, Tyreese is almost done. 'Better get a move on." Daryl started towards where Tyreese, killing the last walker with an arrow. Tyreese turned his attention to Daryl, blood splattered all over him.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see a familiar face." Tyreese said, a little out of breath. Daryl nodded.

"Same here. Where are y'all goin'?" Tyreese gestured to the dirt road. Lizzie watched as the scene unfolded.

"Heading up where the bus left off, getting as many miles between us and this place." Daryl nodded.

"Let's go." Tyreese nodded, turning to the girls.

"Stay behind me, but in front of Daryl. Got it?" The two nodded. The four survivors ran up to where the bus left, the dirt road. They kept on running for a couple of minutes, creating more distance between them and the prison. Once they stopped running, they kept on walking. Mika had trouble keeping up, seeing that she was carrying Judith. It was silent for the next couple of miles.

Lizzie took that as a time to analyze what exactly had happened. Her first kill. The first one was a man and the second a red-headed woman. Lizzie looked at her hands, covered in blood. _I did that. I killed someone. _Lizzie remembered all of the walkers she killed - she had recognized some of them. Lizzie remembered passing by them outside and asking for them to pass a dish during dinner. Lizzie had felt almost nothing in the heat of the moment, but now...when she was able to really pay attention and take the time to think...it scared her. She was scared of the person she was back at the prison - a brave, callous person, not feeling anything when killing another human being. On the other hand, Lizzie also knew she had done the right thing. A life for a life. She saved Tyreese. Lizzie knew that in a world like this, killing was a daily thing - almost a chore. Lizzie hadn't enjoyed killing by any means, but she liked knowing she had helped, contributed. She didn't like feeling helpless and not being able to protect herself. Lizzie liked feeling powerful, helpful, and most of all, important.

They had stayed on the road until the sun set. Daryl and Tyreese walked in the forest, telling the girls that they would try to find some sort of shelter. Lizzie kept her eyes peeled, staying close to Mika. Daryl spotted an old shack and pond, calling the group over.

"Figured we could hole up here tonight and set out tomorrow to see if there's any others," Tyreese nodded. Daryl looked at the girls and said, "Stay out here 'til we call you in. 'Gonna go see if there's any walkers or people inside." Lizzie nodded. Daryl and Tyreese walked into the house, leaving Lizzie and Mika alone outside.

Lizzie turned to Mika and asked, "Have you been bit? Scratched?" Lizzie, not waiting for an answer, ran her fingers across her sister's arms, looking for any wounds. Mika shook her head.

"No. What about you?" Lizzie kept quiet, still searching.

Mika pulled back, "I'm fine." Lizzie followed her step, still looking.

Mika huffed, "I'm fine!" Upon her sister's outburst, Lizzie stopped. She muttered an apology.

Mika's expression softened and said, "Are _you _okay?" Lizzie bit her lip, locking her eyes on the floor, "Lizzie?" she stayed silent, "Lizzie, answer me."

Lizzie looked up, a tear flowing down her cheek, "I-I'm fine." Mika shook her head.

"You wouldn't lie to dad. Don't you lie to me. Are you okay?" Lizzie waited for a couple of seconds until saying something.

Lizzie shook her head, wiping the tear of her cheek, sniffling, "I-I killed someone, Mika. I killed two, living, breathing, people...I k-killed a person!" Mika gave her a sympathetic look.

"Lizzie, it'll be fine...It'll be fine," Mika tried to reassure her. Lizzie let tears freely fall.

"No, Mika, you don't understand. I-I killed someone. I killed a human being. I'm not okay. I'll never be okay! I-I ended some one's life. I-I..." Lizzie choked on her words. Mika wouldn't have any of it.

"Stop it, Lizzie. You saved some one's life. Tyreese's life. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You know that. You did what you had to do."

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**A/N: This was totally inspired by last night's episode (season 4 mid-season finale)...I was bawling by the end of it...Speaking of last night's episode, this story contains MAJOR spoilers up until last night's episode, and possible spoilers (from sneak peaks). If you're waiting on me to update, check out EnglishPoet18 and SOA loving mom's stories - they're awesome! **


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, let's get goin'."

The five survivors had stayed the night at the shack, having at least one person on guard. Tyreese took first watch, and then Daryl. They let Mika and Lizzie sleep for the majority of the night, not wanting Judith to wake up.

Almost dawn, Lizzie woke up, a nightmare pulling her from her unconscious state. Beads of sweat glistened off of Lizzie's forehead. Lizzie looked around, not sure where she was for a moment. When she calmed down, recognizing her surroundings, the memorizes from the day before came flooding back. Lizzie shivered, knowing what she had done. Lizzie's first kill.

Lizzie looked side to side, seeing Mika laying with Judith, sleeping, and then to the other side of Lizzie, slept Daryl. Lizzie's mouth almost quirked up into a small smile upon hearing Daryl's snores. She hoped walkers didn't have good hearing - every walker in a five mile radius could have heard Daryl's snores. Lizzie stood, careful not to wake her sleeping neighbors, and crept out of the shack. Lizzie closed the wooden door behind her, looking for Tyreese.

Tyreese appeared from the other side of the shack and said, "Oh, hey Lizzie. Come on, I found something." Lizzie followed Tyreese past the other side of the shack, so they were behind it. Tyreese bent down, uncovering the leaves from the ground, revealing a wooden cellar door. Tyreese pulled it open, gesturing for Lizzie to go in first.

"Don't worry, I cleared it out this morning," Tyreese said as he followed behind Lizzie. Lizzie gasped, seeing what laid inside. A few gun remained on the wooden cabinet next to her, a few packets of bullets on the dresser, and a small knife set on the rack. Tyreese continued, "The guns don't have any ammo in 'em and whoever raided this place before us didn't leave a lot of ammo behind either. But I did find 'couple of packages of ammo under the bed. 'Gonna hold us over 'til we find more though. 'Still a good find." Lizzie nodded, stepping closer to the knife set. She looked over to Tyreese, silently asking for them.

Tyreese softly smiled, "Sure. Give one to your sister. 'Guess Daryl lucked out." A deep voice came from behind Tyreese.

"Why did I luck out?" Tyreese turned around, facing Daryl. Lizzie grabbed the knife pack, sticking them in her belt.

"Didn't find any arrows. But I did find some more ammo." Daryl nodded. He had his crossbow slung over his shoulder, turning his attention to Lizzie.

"Your sister woke up. She's lookin' for you." Lizzie nodded, running past the two men and left. Daryl and Tyreese stayed quiet for some time.

Daryl cleared his throat, "Figured we can keep on the road, lookin' for the bus." Tyreese's forehead creased.

"What about Sasha? She wasn't on the bus." Daryl knew Tyreese would want to go to his sister and see if she was alive - who wouldn't? But Daryl also knew that it was a risky thing; going back to the prison all for one person. He had a hard time keeping the thing about Carol away from Tyreese and now he wanted to go and look for his sister. Daryl couldn't deal with this - not now.

"I saw her leave with Bob 'n Maggie. She's fine. Bob was the one that was hurt." Tyreese started to panic.

"Where did they head off to? We need to go and find them." Daryl tried to control Tyreese. He knew Tyreese wouldn't back down until his sister was safe.

Daryl looked Tyreese in the eye and said, "We have two 'lil girls and a baby to worry 'bout right now. We'll go lookin' for 'em after we figure things out." Tyreese nodded. He hated to admit it, but he knew Daryl was right. The kids were their first priority right now.

"Come on. 'Better get the girls and move out." Daryl nodded. The two made it out of the cellar just in time to see about twenty five walkers come out from the wooded area. Daryl cursed under his breath and yelled, "Come on!"

Lizzie appeared from the house, Mika behind her, carrying Judith. Lizzie saw the mass of walkers, reaching for her knife. A walker grabbed hold of her shoulders, bringing her neck to it's mouth.

"No!" Mika shouted. Before the walker could bite Lizzie, Daryl shot an arrow through it's head. Lizzie took a second to regain her composure, before driving her knife through the first walker's head that she saw. Daryl joined her, killing the walkers that were blocking the path to the street. Tyreese grabbed Mika, picking her up, Judith in tow. Tyreese had his hatchet, killing all walkers that was between them and the road. Once they had a cleared path, they ran to the road. Only about ten walkers were left, trying to catch up with them. Daryl and Lizzie killed the rest, following behind the others.

They slowed their pace, and started to walk. Tyreese put Mika down, checking if she was okay. Lizzie shook, falling behind from the group. Daryl noticed, waiting for her. Tyreese continued walking with Mika, not stopping.

Daryl looked down at Lizzie, "You did good." Lizzie looked at him quizzically.

Lizzie said, "How can y-you say that? I-I am a killer." Daryl knew what she was talking about. The first time he had killed wasn't even after the outbreak.

Daryl kept his eyes on hers, "Everyone is. You've only killed walkers. You did it for a good reason too - keeping your sister, Judith, Tyreese, even me, safe." Lizzie kept her eyes trained on the ground, wishing that what he had said was true.

"You're wrong...I killed a person." Daryl's eyebrows raised at the claim.

Daryl needed more information, "What?" Lizzie's lip quivered.

"T-two people were shooting at Tyreese. The first one didn't see me, but the second one...the second one was a woman. I-I saw her die. I-I saw her fall to the ground lifeless...I-I k-killed two people." Lizzie let out a sob.

Daryl stood there, unsure of what to say. It wasn't unheard of that someone killed another person, but a little girl? A little girl had killed two people wasn't common, but it wasn't uncommon either. Daryl knew what kind of guilt Lizzie must have been feeling - he had experienced that same kind of guilt too. At least she killed for a reason - a morally good reason; saving someone else from death, at the cost of some one's life.

"Y'all alright?" Tyreese shouted. Daryl turned back to face Tyreese who was standing a considerably large distance away. Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, 'be right there." Daryl casted Lizzie a glance.

"Come on, we better head to 'em." Lizzie nodded. They ran back up to meet Tyreese and Mika. Once they were all back together, they stayed quiet. Lizzie eyed Daryl from behind him, frowning. _He didn't even respond. Is what I did really that bad? That even Daryl won't talk to me? _

It was mid-afternoon when Mika complained of a nasty stench - Judith's diaper. They went into the woods, in search of flowing water. They came across a stream, deciding to take a few minutes to rest. Lizzie helped Mika changed that diaper, having to tear a part of her jacket to make a decent diaper. Daryl and Tyreese used that time to plan out what to do next, and where exactly they should go.

"Let's try to get some type of car by the end of the day. 'Provides transportation and shelter. That's our best bet." Tyreese nodded in agreement, walking over to the girls.

Tyreese knelt down next to where they were sitting and said, "Hey girls. We're going to go and try to find a car. Come on, we could use y'all's help." They agreed, standing up. They set out back to the street, walking along the road. They were close to Big Spot! where Daryl and some of the prison group had made a run. In the parking lot, they found several cars.

Tyreese said, "Alright, take your pick." A blue, rusted truck was parked farther down in the row, catching Daryl's attention. They all agreed on the truck and then set out to siphon some gas. Once they siphoned enough gas, they all got in the car, Tyreese in the passenger seat, Daryl in the driving seat, and Lizzie, Mika, and Judith in the back.

"Ready?" They all nodded. Daryl drove the car out of the parking lot, following the path to where the bus had left off to. Mika took that as a time to rest, and so did Lizzie. Whether Lizzie wanted to admit it or not - she was tired. Daryl looked in the rear view mirror at the three sleeping girls in the back seat. He smirked.

About an hour later, almost sunset, Tyreese said, "Stop the car!" Daryl looked at him to ask him why, but then he saw it.

The bus.

Daryl hit the break, opening the car door. They both got out of the car, running to the bus - it was parked on the side of the road. Once they got to the site, they started looking for the people.

"Glenn! Beth! You here?!" Daryl shouted. He didn't care if a walker had heard him - he wanted to find his friends. Daryl entered the bus, crossbow in tow. The bus was empty. Daryl jumped out of the bus, scanning the area.

"Glenn! Glenn, you here?" Daryl and Tyreese searched a little more, before seeing a figure walking towards them. Daryl had his crossbow up, ready for an attack.

"Put your weapon down. Who the f***'s Glenn?"

**A/N: I know! I am a terrible person, but just wait! I'll be updating tomorrow (hopefully)! A huge thanks to MillHouse10 and LittlePeopleKnow for reviewing!**

**Again, this is not a CARYL fic...sorry to disappoint...and also, it doesn't look like this is going to be a Lizzie/Carl fic either (sorry LittlePeopleKnow!)...I have a sick and disgusting outlook on pairings, so...if you don't really support student/teacher or teenage/adult fanfics, I suggest you stop reading because, it looks like it heading that way...I ain't going to give out specific pairing names, but guarantee you - if you're looking for a pairing with people close in age, you're reading the wrong story...**


	3. Chapter 3

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing its form.

The man seemed to be mid to late thirties, not too older than Daryl. His hair was light brown with green-blue eyes.

Daryl was the one that spoke first, "What do you want?" The man was dressed in worn jeans and a camouflaged t-shirt.

The man kept his facial expression neutral and said, "I wanted to know why you're raisin' 'cain, attracting all of the infected." _Infected. That's a new one. _

Daryl set his jaw, "Guess we have the same question for you." The man nodded.

He said, "Me and my group were lookin' for supplies. 'Saw this bus and thought it might have some stuff in it." Daryl gripped his crossbow.

Daryl said, "Our group was separated and we've been lookin' for 'em." The man scoffed, gesturing behind Daryl and Tyreese. Daryl turned his head, seeing Lizzie and Mika standing almost five feet behind them, Judith in Lizzie's arms.

The man said, "Got kids with you? Ain't to smart to take 'em out in on a-" Daryl cut him off.

Daryl interjected, "Ain't smart for you to question our intentions either. If you ain't got any information on where the rest of our group is, then we'll leave." The man paid no attention to what some would consider a threat.

"It wouldn't be right for us to just let y'all leave, now would it? If you come across three people, three of 'em kids, you don't leave 'em out for the infected to get to them. We've got a camp about two miles east in the woods. Ain't nothin' fancy, but we got food and 'couple of extra sleeping bags. Y'all are welcome to come if you'd like." Daryl shook his head.

"No." The man shrugged.

"That's fine," he took a second, "But if 'ya change your minds, we're near highway 57. 'Name's Joseph." The man turned around, getting back in his own jeep and drove into the woods.

Daryl muttered, "Alright," to himself. He turned to Tyreese and gestured to the girls. Tyreese nodded.

Tyreese turned to the girls and said, "Go back in the car and sleep some more. We'll come in a few minutes." They both nodded and started back to the car.

Daryl took a deep sigh in, seeing Tyreese's expression, "You know we can't." Tyreese's looked at him pleadingly.

"Come on, what if Sasha's with them? What about Carol? I didn't see her." Daryl froze at the mention of her name - from Tyreese no less. Daryl was at a loss for words.

Tyreese continued, "There's a chance some of our people are with them. It wouldn't like it would hurt us if they're not there. We'll get food rest up, maybe even get some more ammo. And if the guy's group is bad, we have a car - we can make a getaway." Daryl protested.

"We got kids. We cain't risk them like that. What if they start firing at us? We got Judith!" Tyreese wouldn't back down.

"We have to see! If they're not there, we'll leave right then. If some of our people are there... Daryl, you know that-" Daryl had had enough.

"No! No, Tyreese! We don't have only ourselves to worry about right now! We got two little girls and a f***in' baby with us! Get yourself together! We 'gotta get some shelter and food and then we'll focus on finding 'em, got it?!" Tyreese stood silent. Daryl shook his head and strode back to the car. He got in and started the car. Tyreese stood where he had left him. Daryl didn't budge.

Tyreese huffed, walking back to the car. Once he was in, Daryl casted him a glance, giving him a single nod.

"'Alright?" Tyreese nodded. Daryl started to drive, sparing the back seat a glance. Lizzie had Judith in her lap and Mika was sleeping. When Lizzie thought no one was looking, she picked Judith up, sitting her so she was facing her. Lizzie started playing for her hands and feet, making the baby giggle. A smile graced her lips.

Daryl smirked. Beneath Lizzie's tough exterior, she wasn't the killer she thought herself to be - in this world, she would be considered pure, almost normal.

After passing a few houses, Daryl pulled into one driveway and gestured for everyone to get out. Once everyone was out, Daryl revealed the plan.

"Tyreese and I are going in, do a sweep and 'gonna come back out to get y'all. Don't you move." Lizzie nodded. Once the two went inside, Lizzie remained quiet, playing with Judith's infant hair. Mika eyed her sister, not believing her sister's new persona.

"All clear!" Daryl's voice traveled from inside of the house to the three girls outside. Lizzie went in first, meeting Daryl halfway through the hallway.

"There are three floors. All of us are going to stay the second, not too far away from the exit, and not too close to the entrance. We're going to all share a bedroom - 'safer that way." Lizzie nodded.

Daryl said, "Look through the kitchen cabinets. We 'gotta find some food." _Food. _Lizzie's tummy growled in hunger. Mika followed Lizzie through the kitchen, shuffling in the cabinets for canned goods. They had only found about ten cans, giving each person one whole can.

Later that night, they all sat around a burning candle in their bedroom, passing around the cans.

Lizzie mumbled, "Only found a few cans with peas, carrots, and beans." Daryl took what he could get, opening the can the second it was in his hands. Lizzie and Mika both shared their can with Judith. They silently decided not to ask Tyreese and Daryl to contribute to Judith's meal, seeing that they were both adults, and were probably hungrier than Lizzie and Mika combined. Lizzie mushed the carrots and peas, making something similar to carrot and pea soup. They fed it to Judith, and then started eating their own portions. Lizzie stuffed their rations in Daryl's backpack, pulling her jacket closer to herself.

Daryl broke they silence, saying, "We'll stay here tonight, and then tomorrow we'll look for more supplies in the other houses. Once we figure everythin' out, we'll go looking for the others." After they all ate, Lizzie and Mika crawled into the bed, having Judith be in the middle of them. Tyreese slept on the reclining chair, and Daryl slept on the loveseat. They had locked all of the doors - even the windows - so they figured they didn't need to have someone on watch.

Lizzie tossed and turned, not able to fall asleep - whether is was because she had slept in the car or she had more of a conscience than she had originally thought. Lizzie carefully tossed the bed covers off of her, and tip-toed out of the room, closing the door behind her, not wanting to wake everyone. She crept down stairs and sat down in one of the dining room tables' chairs, facing the porch, a glass wall separating herself from the outside. The moonlight was bright, the darkness illuminating the stars out. It was peaceful - it reminded her of a time before the outbreak. Of course, she was only eight and Mika six, but she remembered how her mother would take them out to the park at night just to see the stars. Lizzie then realized she had thought of her mother. Her father had told both her and Mika to forget their mother - even him, before he had died. Lizzie never had given her mother a thought after the day of mourning after her death. She knew now was one of few times she should think about her mother - her mother, Sarah, had always had a way of calming her. Lizzie thought back to her first kills. She wondered what her mother would say about that. Scold her? Maybe. But her mother hadn't survived the first few ours of the outbreak - she didn't know what it was like.

Lizzie hugged her knees, bringing them close to her chest.

"What 'you doin' out here?" Lizzie turned around to see who had said that, only to be revealed to Daryl.

Lizzie brought her head back the right way and continued to look at the stars, "I couldn't sleep." Daryl sat down in a seat across from her, taking in his surroundings.

After a few seconds of mentally debating, Lizzie asked the question she had wanted to ask him since she had confessed she had killed, "Do you hate me?" Daryl was surprised by that.

"Why would you ask that?" Lizzie shrugged.

Lizzie answered, "After telling you that I had killed you have ignored me since." Daryl sighed, looking out to the stars.

"I don't hate you. It...it was just surprising." Lizzie frowned.

"Why?"

Daryl scoffed, "You're ten 'n killing." Lizzie corrected him.

"I'm thirteen. And you said it was for a good reason too - keeping you all safe." Daryl bit his lip.

"I did say that. But I said that before you told me you had killed a person." Lizzie sat up straighter.

"Walkers are people too." Daryl grunted.

"We're not gettin' into this...Carol told me you had named one of 'em." Lizzie nodded.

"Cause they are. They deserve names, just like we do. I get the name Lizzie and you get the name Daryl. If - when - we turn, We'll be the same, it just we have a different appearance on the exterior, not internally! We'll have our memories, and maybe even be concious...it'll be like stuck in a body where you have zero control over it." Daryl shook his head.

"No...no! When we die, our memories die with them! I saw it. All of the stuff in our brain that makes us...well, us, dies when we die. When we're turned, it's just...just something else in our places. We die. Our body may be walking and blood thirsty, but no...we die." Lizzie refused to believe this.

"You're wrong." Daryl shrugged.

"You'll figure it out soon enough." He let it go - she needed to learn it herself.

As the night went on, Lizzie grew more and more tired. She let out a yawn, pulling a hand up, covering her mouth.

Daryl murmered, "You need 'ta get some sleep." Lizzie shook her head.

She said, "I can't sleep knowing that no one is on watch." Daryl grumbled.

He retorted, "Then go 'an sleep on the couch and I'll keep watch right here." Lizzie frowned.

Lizzie softly said, "Then you won't sleep." Daryl exhaled heavily, laying his back on the chair.

He pulled his arms behind his head and said, "Then both of won't get any sleep." Lizzie crossed her arms, but kept her mouth shut.

Being the stubborn person that she was, Lizzie stayed awake, fighting her eyelids when they would close. She wouldn't give Daryl the satisfaction of her falling asleep. Though all in due time, she let eyelids close, falling into a sleeping state. Daryl smirked upon seeing that she had done so. He stood and went by her, picking her up bridal-style in his arms and carried her over to the couch. Daryl covered her with a blanket, making sure she was warm enough. His concious got the best of him, and upon remembering that she felt more safe when someone was on watch, he sat in the chair next to the couch where Lizze lied asleep, crossbow in hand.

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**A/N: Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Lizzie!"

It had been a week since the prison attack.

The group had been traveling further and further south, searching for the rest of the group. They had dumped the car they had been in, coming accross a farm. The farm was was abandoned, the family dead in the house. Daryl decided that they would be better off riding horses than a car - mainly because it had become harder and harder finding gas. Lizzie, Micah, and Judith traveled on one horse - the biggest - with Judith in the middle, Lizzie in the front, and Micah in the back. Daryl and Tyreese rode different horses.

Lizzie really liked the horses, naming them with Micah. Daryl's horse was named Armed & Dangerous, AD for short. Tyreese's horse was named Ashe. The girls' horse was named Bugsy. The first time Daryl heard their horse's name, he nearly choked from laughter. Lizzie frowned, liking the name. They had given each horse their names based off of their rider - since the girls' horse hated flies, flipping his tail around all the time, they named him Bugsy. Since Tyreese seemed to always be covered with ash, they decided to name his horse Ashe. They wanted to add the 'e' at the end of the name to make the horse more feminine - since the horse was a girl. Since Daryl was armed and dangerous, they thought that name would fit his horse well. Daryl didn't know how he felt towards his horse's name.

Deciding the horse's name consumed most of Lizzie and Micah's conversations for the week. Daryl was thankful they had not crossed paths with the man that they had come accross on the road. He was too welcoming.

The group had come accross an old neighborhood, deciding to stay in one of the houses for a few nights. Lizzie had been pestering Daryl to let her go on a raid with him, but he had refused.

They were all sitting in the living room.

Lizzie said, "Daryl, please-" He cut her off short.

Daryl said, "No. A raid is no place for a kid." Lizzie set her jaw.

"Neither is the apocalypse, but I don't see anyone keeping me from killing walkers." Daryl huffed.

He said, "You know that's different." Lizzie decided to go back to her original question.

Lizzie said, "That is basically what I would be doing on the raid anyway - killing walkers, while looking for supplies," Daryl was about to protest. Lizzie continued, "If I make a mistake or put your life in danger, I won't ask to go on another raid again," Daryl eyed her. Lizzie added, "I swear." Daryl grunted.

He set his can of beans on the floor.

Daryl stood, looking at Lizzie, "Fine. I'm leaving tomorrow at sunrise. I'm not 'gonna wait." He stalked off.

* * *

Lizzie couldn't wait. She stayed up nearly all night, not wanting to be a second late. An hour before dawn, she slipped out of the house, a lake not too far away. Lizzie took the time to undress, getting in the water. Lizzie shivered, the cold water brushing up against her skin. She washed her hair to the best of her ability, scrubbing off all of the grime and dirt off of her skin. Lizzie closed her eyes, savoring the moment.

A noise pulled her out of her content state. Something was behind the bushes. The thing came out, surprising Lizzie, making her cover up. It was Daryl.

Daryl's eyes widened and stuttered, "I-I was going to just-," he struggled to find the right words, "I was going to bathe too, and," he mentally cursed himself for being so stupid, "I'll go." Once Daryl left, Lizzie giggled. Her cheeks were cherry red from embarassment.

Once Lizzie dried herself off, she went through her backpack, looking for clean clothes. Lizzie quickly put her clothes on and walked back towards the house. Daryl sat on the porch, crossbow and backpack slung over his shoulder.

Daryl cleared his throat and said, "Ya ready?" Lizzie nodded. He already had Bugsy tacked up and ready to ride.

Lizzie looked curiously at him, "Shouldn't we bring two?" Daryl shook his head.

He said, "No, we don't need to attract more attention to ourselves. 'n I figured since y'alls horse is bigger, we could bring 'yers." Lizzie nodded. Daryl mounted the horse, giving Lizzie his hand to get on. Lizzie got on the horse, situated behind Daryl. They kept quiet for most of the ride.

Lizzie realized they were going to the outlet that she had seen going into the city. Daryl rode the horse into the parking lot, hopping off of the horse. Lizzie got down too, accidentally hurting her ankle in the process. She didn't make a big deal about - even if it did hurt like hell.

Daryl said, "I'm 'gonna go an' see if there's any ammo 'round here. Meet here in an hour. Get food, batteries, and medicine," Daryl added, "If you spot anyone, don't confront them - go and find me, got it?" Lizzie nodded.

Daryl eyed her knives, "Think that knives will be good 'nough for you?" Lizzie nodded. Daryl sighed, reaching behind him. He handed her a pistol.

He said, "If you do come across some people and they spot you, this gun has three bullets in it. Make 'em count. If you can use your knife, use it." Lizzie nodded, taking the gun, putting it in her pocket.

The two separated, Lizzie going to the department store and Daryl going to the sports store. Lizzie went through the aisles, looking for anything that would be useful. She picked up a few batteries and canned goods, storing them in her backpack. She went to the medicine section, hoping to find some pain killers or anti-headache pill. Lizzie found something entirely different.

Two people. There were two men, drinking what looked like alcohol. Ten feet away, and Lizzie could smell that awful stench. Lizzie reached for the gun, but remembered what Daryl said. She moved to leave until she saw it - a medium sized, unopened bottle of painkillers, laying on the floor, five feet away from her. If she got them and ran away fast enough, she could get to Daryl in time. But if she made one wrong move, she knew it would be bad. Lizzie knew she had no choice.

Lizzie carefully crept towards the bottle of pills, not wanting to make any noise. Lizzie reached for the bottle, smiling when she had it in her grasp. Lizzie quickly turned around, ready to run away. She turned around too fast, knocking a few boxes to the floor. Lizzie froze.

She heard a chuckle, turning around. The two men now were aware of her presence. _Fan-freaking-tastic. _

The oldest laughed, "Look at 'er, Sam!" The man, Sam, nodded.

Sam said, "Oh yeah, Joe." Joe laughed, throwing his head back.

Joe said, "Come 'ere sweet heart, don't worry." Lizzie realized she was shaking. Joe stepped forward, grabbing her by the arm.

"Don't you make me ask you somethin' twice, girl." Lizzie tried to get out of his grip.

Joe smirked, "We 'gotta fighter, Sammy! She's 'gonna be fun," he smiled, "Sam, go 'n get us somethin' to drink. We're 'gonna have some fun tonight." Sam walked off. Joe pulled Lizzie closer, stroking her cheek with his free hand.

"You're sure 'perty. Pretty little thing like 'yerself out all alone. 'Got anyone with you?" Lizzie tried to get out of his grasp again, biting his arm. Joe growled, punching her. Lizzie looked up, tasting blood in her mouth.

Joe spit out, "I'd take you right here if I could," he chuckled, "Last time I did that, Sam got all mad and give me this," he pointed to his scar on his face, "the girl didn't last the night when he was done with her," he added menacingly.

Joe said again, "Now tell me - is anyone with you? 'Not 'gonna ask again, 'sugah." Lizzie set her jaw.

Lizzie said, "My group was attacked...I was the only one left." Joe smirked.

"Looks like you've found a new group, sweet heart." Sam came running in, two bottles of clear alcohol in his hands.

Sam smiled and said, "Got the good stuff, Joe. Moonhine." Joe chuckled.

Joe said, "Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" They opened the bottles, drinking. Joe looked at Sam.

He asked, "You 'wanna go first?" Sam shook his head.

Sam said, "She's a little too young for me, Joe, but you can go 'head," he smirked, "You're 'gonna have me for an audience." Joe nodded, ignoring everything Sam had said after he gave him the okay. Joe looked hungrily at Lizzie, licking the bottom of his lips. He pulled a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Joe slammed his lips on hers, catching her by surprise. His tongue entered her mouth, not caring if she was hurt. Before Lizzie could blink, Joe had her pinned down on the floor, pulling her shirt off. Joe unzipped her jeans. He saw the gun, taking it out of her pocket, throwing it across the floor, taking her knives as well. Lizzie's lip quivered, her eyes watering. Joe pecked her neck, making his way down to her breasts. Lizzie only had her jeans and bra on. Lizzie squirmed, trying to get away from him. His bulge was rubbing agaisnt her thighs, making Lizzie squeak.

Something snapped in Lizzie, making her scream, "Daryl! Daryl! Help me!" Joe slapped her, covering her mouth.

A voice calls back, "Lizzie? Lizzie, where are you?!" Lizzie bit Joe's finger.

Lizzie yelled, "Over here! Help me! I'm-" Joe punched her stomach. He kept on punching her, putting her arms above her head.

Joe sneered, "You said you were alone." Lizzie could barely open her eyes.

Joe went to punch her again, "You bi-!" An arrow cut him short. Daryl shot him. He shot Sam too. Daryl rushed to Lizzie side, taking his leather jacket off, putting it over her shoulders, covering her. It took a few moments for Daryl to fully comprehend what had - or was about to happen.

Daryl asked, "Did they...?" Lizzie knew what he meant. She shook her head, tears freely falling. Daryl nodded.

He said, "Are you-?" He was cut off. Lizzie wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. Daryl was caught by surprise and stiffened. He soon relaxed, wrapping his arms around Lizzie's small, shaking form. They remained in that position for a few minutes.

Daryl cleared his throat and said, "Are you ready to go?" Lizzie nodded. Daryl unwraped his arms, standing up. Lizzie stood too, using Daryl's hand to guide her. She fell limp, Daryl supporting her. Before she could say anything, Daryl put an arm around her upper back and under her knees, picking her up. He shrugged her backpack and gun on his shoulder. Daryl walked towards the horse, putting her on first, and then getting on himself, behind her.

"We're 'gonna go and get you cleaned up." Lizzie nodded.

Lizzie weakly said, "I-I can't let Micah and Tyreese see me like this."

He said, "Lizzie, now's not the time to act all tough. You're hurt. We have some medicine at the house."

She said, "I'm not t-trying to act tough, Daryl. I-I can't let my sister see me like this. Please." Daryl sighed. He decided to go to the same lake that Lizzie had gone to just that morning. It wasn't too far from their house either.

When they got to the lake, Daryl got down first. He put his hands on Lizzie's waist, carrying her down. Lizzie winced, cowering against Daryl's touch.

Daryl saw her reaction and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Lizzie shook her head. Even though they were only a few feet away from the water, Daryl picked her up, walking over to the water. Daryl carefully set her down on the dry ground, getting out her backpack.

Lizzie said, "There should be a," she winced at the pain, "a t-shirt in there." Daryl nodded, getting out the army green, oversized shirt.

Upon looking at her, Daryl could see the scars and wounds that the bastard had given to her.

Daryl said, "We need to clean 'yer wounds." Lizzie froze.

"D-do we have to? Don't t-they heal on th-their own?" Daryl shrugged.

He said, "Yeah, but some of 'em might get infected." Lizzie nodded, looking down at the ground. Daryl pulled out the medicine kit out of his backpack, getting a cloth out. He got out his bottle of water, wetting the cloth. He looked up at Lizzie.

"This will hurt a little. Do you want to do it?" Lizzie shook her head.

She said, "No, just- just please make it quick." Daryl nodded. _Quick and painless_. He started on her face, dabbing it on her bloody wounds. Lizzie tried to refrain from wincing, knowing it annoyed Daryl. He moved down, cleaning her stomach wounds. Daryl could clearly see that the man used Lizzie as a punching bag.

Daryl asked, "Why didn't you shoot them?" Lizzie shrugged.

She confessed, "I saw some pain killers on the floor. I couldn't leave it. I took them, but...the shelf fell, and..." Daryl dropped the subject. He continued to clean the wounds. He took out the bandage wraps, tying it around her stomach.

"Why are you doing this?" Daryl had learned a thing or two from Hershel.

He said, "You have a broken rib and a few fractured." Lizzie nodded, frowning. A cold breeze came, making Lizzie realize she had only her bra on and pants, in the presence of Daryl. She knew he would do anything to her, it just after what she almost had done to her, she didn't want to be topless in front of a man for a long time. Lizzie struggled with putting her top on, Daryl having to help.

They decided to go back to the house, seeing that it was almost nightfall. When they arrived the front door was open and the horses were gone. Daryl and Lizzie walked up the porch steps, calling out their names.

"Micah? Tyreese?" When they entered the house, they saw the walls covered with a red, sticky liquid - blood.

Micah, Tyreese, and Judith were gone.

* * *

**A/N: I was seriously considering going for a full on rape scene, but I realized that I would not only have to bump the rating to an M, but I would also have to sit down and WRITE the rape scene. I have never written a rated M story, let alone lemon. **


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